Six Takeaways From No. 14 BYU's Euphoric Win Over Arizona

Joe Wheat | Oct 13, 2024

BYU Crowd at Big Noon Kickoff / BYU Photo

Is it a hot take to say that Saturday was the best day to be a BYU fan since BYU received a Big 12 invite and ended a nine-game skid to Utah in a 36-hour period? It certainly felt that way. BYU was featured in the national spotlight on Big Noon Kickoff, and rose to meet the moment in a big big way with a 22-point thrashing of Arizona, with Gus Johnson’s jubilation radiating down the Wasatch Front. Here is what I took away from an incredible day to be a BYU fan.

1. BYU is a great football team, day or night, rain or snow

BYU huddles up before the first drive against Baylor / BYU Photo

There is an old saying that good teams win, great teams cover. Not only is BYU 6-0, but they are also 6-0 against the spread by a combined 104 points in every television window. BYU has held a 3-touchdown lead in 5 of their 6 games, with the outlier being a 3-point win as a 12.5 point under-dog at SMU. BYU has certainly had some fortunate bounces, but these wins are not flukes. BYU has had a positive yards-per play and available yards gained differential in every game this season, a key sign of team efficiency. That efficiency was at its peak against Arizona.

BYU’s win over Arizona was BYU’s most dominant team win over a Power 4 team in at least 2 years. BYU was +3 in turnover margin, +2 in yards per play differential (6.6-4.6), and +18.2% in available yards gained percentage (62.2%-44.2%). All 3 are season highs against P4 opponents. In my eyes, Saturday marked the moment that BYU is no longer just a cute story of overachievement before inevitably reverting back to the mean. The mean has shifted, and BYU is now a legitimate contender for the College Football Playoff.

2. Isaiah Glasker might be BYU’s best defensive player

BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker returns an interception for a touchdown against Arizona / BYU Photo

I know, I know, Jack Kelly and Jacob Robinson will have something to say about this, but Isaiah Glasker was the MVP of this game for BYU. Glasker recorded a QB hit, a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, a pass break up, an interception, a touchdown, and a partridge in a pair tree. Glasker was BYU’s second highest-graded defensive player according PFF and flashed the kind of potential that could make him the next NFL linebacker out of BYU.

3. BYU will win 10 games with this run game

BYU RB LJ Martin / BYU Photo

Amazing what can happen when BYU’s running backs are healthy. Arizona’s struggles on defense against the run were documented in my pregame article, but BYU running for a season high 5.4 yards per carry is nothing to scoff at. That average was the second most allowed by Arizona to a P4 opponent this season, behind only Kansas State (5.7 ypc). All four ball carriers for BYU averaged more than 4 yards per carry, led by Hinkley Ropati with a terrific 7.2 yard average on 9 carries. 22.2% of BYU’s rush attempts went for 10+ yards, a season high, and except for a fumble on BYU’s penultimate drive, everyone involved with BYU’s run game gets an A today. If this is sustainable, BYU’s offense will feast on their next two opponents and beyond.

4. Drops prevented 2 BYU touchdowns today, and that needs to be fixed

BYU wide receiver Darius Lassiter against Arizona / BYU Photo

It wasn’t all perfect. Outside of exceptional touchdown catches by Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston and a nifty 38-yard catchand run by Darius Lassiter, BYU’s receivers were disappointing on Saturday. Jake Retzlaff finished the day with a 56.3% completion rate despite having an on-target percentage of 75% on the day. Drops were a killer on multiple BYU drives and left at least 8 points on the field because of it. More than that, I saw multiple receivers run routes at inappropriate depths, which created timing issues with their QB. Retzlaff certainly wasn’t perfect, but he was much better than his box score. BYU’s receivers are the best position group on the team, but need to be more consistent for this offense to reach its full potential.

5. I would hate to be a fan of an offense that plays BYU

BYU linebacker Aisea Moa pressures Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita as BYU takes down the Wildcats 41-19 / BYU Photo

Playing BYU’s defense looks miserable. Here’s a fun stat: BYU has forced twice as many turnovers this season against power 4 opponents (12) as touchdowns allowed (6). Those 6 touchdowns allowed are also offset by two defensive touchdowns and 5 more that set up BYU’s offense inside the +30 yard line. Bottomline is that BYU’s defense is the Robinhood of defensive units: rob the opponent to feed their offense. The scary part is they could be even better. For the second straight game, BYU could not get off the field on third and long. Such is the risk of sending pressure that doesn’t get home. Noah Fifita did an unbelievable job delivering the football on high-leverage downs despite getting mauled most of the game. BYU generated 24 hurries on 52 pass attempts, including 7 QB hits. Unfortunately, only one of those pressures resulted in a sack, giving Fifita time to find a receiver downfield against an overmatched linebacker even while getting drilled. Still, BYU held Fifita to the lowest pass efficiency rating of his career, so perhaps we are being nitpicky.

6. BYU needs to do whatever it takes to keep this entire coaching staff in place

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake against Baylor / BYU Photo

My bar for retaining the current coaching staff was reaching bowl eligibility. They reached that in 6 games in dominant fashion. I don’t think we fully appreciate the development on both sides of the ball to get BYU to this spot. BYU’s coaching staff largely elected to run it back with the same team that won 5 games a year ago. That was a huge gamble. Jake Retzlaff was the worst QB in the Power 4. Caleb Etienne was borderline unplayable. They had one of the worst running games in the country. The offense added one contributor out of the portal and have gone from the 100th ranked scoring offense to the top 25.

The defense had better vibes last season, but the statistics were equally bad. BYU ranked 91st last season in yards-per-play allowed. BYU added 2 FCS transfers to replace Eddie Heckard and Max Tooley are now in the top 10 this season. Last season, I feared that BYU did not have the talent to compete at a P5 level. Apparently, they did. All it needed was some refining.

Every member of the staff deserves credit. Jay Hill for bringing chaos back to Provo. Aaron Roderick for rebuilding this offense and its quarterback. TJ Woods for restoring the nasty in this Cougar offensive line. Most of all Kalani Sitake for fostering a culture of development, personality and effort that builds up his players to be better versions of themselves on and off the field. What BYU’s staff has built in one offseason is, frankly, a biblical miracle, and it must be preserved at any cost.